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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. net — after costs
  3. perch — the fish
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. branch — a division
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. squash — to crush
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. net — for catching
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. net — in sport
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. squash — the sport
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. toast — bread
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. jam — to spread on bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com